7/23/2014
Five Flags Speedway
Ryan Luza scores top 5 in Pro Late Model at 5 Flags
PENSACOLA, FL. (July 18th, 2014)— In the third race of the 2014 Pro Late Model season at 5 Flags Speedway, Team Flyin Ryan Luza Racing arrived with heavy hearts. Flyin Ryan had recently lost his Paw Paw just two short weeks previously from an illness. Ryan’s Paw Paw was one of his biggest supporters through out his racing career. Ryan and the entire Flyin Ryan Race Team will be dedicating the rest of the season to him. Even with all of that on his mind Ryan finished with a solid race that provided momentum and excitement for the upcoming August 22nd race. “We did some things really well but we recognize that there are still areas that we need to work on if we’re going to compete with and out run the many well established teams in this sport.� said John Luza Jr.
We have the makings of a great group beginning with our crew chief JC Umscheid as well as the many dedicated individuals involved in building this program with a competitive car. The challenges are many from developing a successful marketing strategy to optimizing every dollar in order to find speed on the track. It’s a welcomed challenge and we feel honored for the opportunity to prove ourselves in the Pro Late Model Division,� continued Luza’.
The Team began its Friday early in the morning, Flyin Ryan would have his first chance to feel how the car would perform on the track as the team made several changes and finished the closed practice on a high note.
During their 1st practice the car was better than expected and had the fastest lap of the session. “JC found a few things that helped the car work through the turns better than in the morning practice,� said Luza Jr.
The second practice was cut short due to passing rain storms that delayed the start of qualifying.
In qualifying the car’s balance was pretty good and set the 5th quickest time of the night.
The race provided another great opportunity for the team & driver to get experience working together and begin polishing the program with the goal of competing solidly in the top 5 each week. The first race of the night was a 20 lap sprint to gain one of the top 3 positions. After fighting past a few cars Luza found himself running 3rd with 6 laps to go. Garrett Jones and Johanna Long ran side by side allowing Luza to creep ever so close to race the race leaders. As the white flag flew, Long spun coming out of turn two which opened the door for Ryan Luza to take 2nd place which he held to the finish.
The second race of the night was a 30 lap feature with a complete field inversion. Since Luza had a 2nd place finish in the 20 lap dash earlier in the night he was relegated to starting 15th on the back row next to Jones. On the start of the feature coming out of two, several cars got together however Luza was able to get by without a scratch. As the race progressed Luza was able to work his way up through traffic into the 4th place position. He spent the last 14 laps of the race trying to get by the 99 car of Wayne Niedecken Jr to no avail.
The final results were a 4th place finish with a full load of education for the driver and team. “Overall it was a very positive weekend, I learned a lot and the team did a great job as we build momentum together for the Snowflake 100 in December,� said Ryan Luza.
Stay tuned for more progress in 2014 as Flyin Ryan Luza Racing continues on its journey.
Special thanks to Umscheid Race Services, John Cabori and Mike Kenney for supporting our efforts to build a successful program for us all. We’re looking forward to continuing our partnership into the future together.
For more information or sponsorship inquiries with Flyin Ryan Luza Racing, please visit the website at www.flyinryanluzaracing.com or on Facebook, www.facebook.com/flyinryanluzaracing or Contact John M. Cabori at 713-819-3718.
